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groove in or 'under the ordinary stopped when UNITED -STATES PATENT OFFICE..

lMPROVENlENTiN SLlDlNG D Speciticati on forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,

RAFT-"CA Bui.

Es. Fon RAiL'RoADS.

697, autee'sepiemter 5, i865.

To alL whom t may concern:

Beit known that l, A. ELY BEACH, of Stratford, Fairfield county, have invented a new and uset'ul Improvement in Sliding Draft-Cables; and I doliereby declare that the following is a. t'ull andexact description of my invention, whiclwill enable any person skilled in the art tom ake and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part ot thisspeciiication, iniwhich drawings the same letters inll the figures.

dicate similar parts in a One ot' the objects of my improvements is to facilitate the propulsion ot' railroad-cars in cities, where the use of horses and ot' locomotives cannot be znlvantageously applied. My improvements are, however, applicable toall purposes to which tratt-cables can be adapted. When passenger or other oars or vehicles are to be propelled in cities l' employ a grooved track or channel embedded in the ground, so that vehicles and foot-passengers may readily pass over said channel. rlhis channel or groove may be located in such position as is found most desirable or convenient. venient method is to arrange the channel or lrails upon ls run. YVithin the said groove or cli-.innel lA arrange my sliding draftcable, the construction ot' which is such that an arm or rod maybe extended down from the car into the groove or-channel, and the said arm may be made to seize and hold the said cable, or the said rod may be released from the cable at thc-will otthe operator'. Thus when the cable is set in motion, by means of drums and steam-engines or other motors the carswill be moved whenever they are connected with the cable, and the cars will be disconnected from the cable.

Figures l, 2, 3, et, 5, 6 illustrate one of the forms of my improvement, in. which the cable is supported upon sliding ears or trames. Fic, l isa perspective view, showing the application of 'my invention tothe track ot a railroad.

A is the draft-cable,which consists of a thin bar otl steel or other suitable metal of .suicient strength and elasticity. The track upon which the car-wheels run,

instead. of being 'composed of a single bar of iron with a central depression or groove,lrnake in two parts, FF', each of 'which rests upon a sleeper, E E. These rails and sleepers are separated, so

which the car-whee as to leave State ot' Connecticut,

One very con.

between them a narrow groove or channeL-c', in which the cable A move suspended or supported by in one piece with the cable, in any suitable manner, whi or run in lgrooves arranged in the sleepers or walls et the channel or groov traverses. In the example shown in the drawings the earsD are madein-the form ot' frames, which are pinched or bent together attheir lower parts so as to .grasp the lower part of' the cable. The upper parts ot the ears D are provided with ears D are so formed that `the bars a will fit into grooves 'or guides b, which are arranged in the walls or ,sleepers E, as shown.- The grooves b are to be lined with soft metal, and are to contain oil for the lubrication thereof, so that the cable may slide with but little triction. The rails li" l"I4 project over the grooves b and prevent the access of dirt thereto. All t-he dirt, water, and other obstructions which enter the groove c will fall below the cable,` l, and maybe removed 'from the groove by means ot' Scrapers attached to the cable and by means of openings in the groove at proper intervals,

which openings serve to drain and keep the groove clear. i

Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe parts above` described, G being the rod or arm which projects from the car to seize the cable. Fig. Sis a plan view ot the above-described parts. Fig. t is a side elevation of a portion ot' the cable and supporting-ears before described, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same.

The cable A is intended to be sutticiently thin laterally that it may bend-so as to accommodate itself to the curved surfaces of propelling-drums and the curves of the'railroadtrack.

ln order to permit vertical ii also for convenience in manufacture, the cable Aisconipo'sed ot' a series of separate bars or links, which are connected together by means of straps B and pivots C, as vshown in Fig. 6, which is a side elevation of several ot the` cable-links with their supporting-ears. The

i links will be made as long as desired, and the. straps and pivots will be proportioned inl size and strength to the work to bedonehy thecable.

Instead of having the cable suspended upon ears it may be suppor )le bar ted upon a suital or` rid-ge arranged in the channel or groove,

means of ears made exibility, and.

s. vThe cable A is'Y or attached thereto ch ears rest -npon e which the cableV longitudinal bars a, and the between the walls thereof. Fig. -lsa perspee- I the form of a blade, as shown n red. -When tive view illustrstingthls method, in which this blade is turned its edges bind or press t e supporting-bar H receives the cable A the surfaces of the groove in the cable, and upon its upper surface, the cable being laid thus connect the car and cable together. dat in this example instead of standing verti- Fig. 13 illustrates, in perspective view, a cally, as in Fig. l. Referring again to Fig. 7, method of supporting the cable within one of it will be observed thatthe surface upon which the walls of the groove. The cable projects the cable slides is covered and protected by laterally from a groove made within the said the cable itself, and 'if the said surface is luwall, as shown, the inner'edge ol' the cable bebricated the cable will slide easlythereon, and ing enlarged or otherwise formed, so that it dirtvcannot have access to said surface. All cannot become laterally displaced,'though it moves longitudinally within the groove in said obstructions that enter the groove o will fall below the cable, as before described. wall. The lower part of the arm which con- The improvements herein described may he used in connection with any of the parts or devices which are described in and form porforms of railroads, .elevated tracks, vand all pur oses for which ca les can be employed.

supporting-surface.

he method by which the cableis seized by tV e car arm or rod will' be understood by reference to Fig. 9, which is an ,end view of the supporting-barH and flat cable, the red lines indicating the car-arm. 11u order'to facilitate the lateral bending of flattened form of cable, it is made in suit able links, which are pivoted together, as indicated atA e', Fig. 10, which is a perspective -view of a portion of such pivoted cable-links and support thereof.' Fig. 1l is a side eleva- 4tion'of the same. ig. 12is a perspective. "iew, which illustrates a form of cable which is grooved both 1. The combination of a cable and a sup porting-surface, substantially as described, so that the rubbing-surfaces will be protected by the cable.

2. The suspension of draft-cables upon sliding ears or bars, substantially as described.

3. The com bi nation ofthe supporting-frames with the cable, substantially as described.

l lgrooved surface of the cable fits upon and cov- A EDY BEACH Witnesses:

ers lts supportingrail,on which itslides. The object of the upper groove upon the cable is to A.- BoLC, receive the car arm orrod, which is made in K. NID'A. 

